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How To Find The Best Real Estate Agent for Your Needs

by Tucker Robbins

Buying or selling real estate is a complex procedure, so it’s important to select a competent, honest agent who will skillfully represent your best interests throughout the entire process.  As you begin your search for property or for a handshakenew owner of your home, keep your eyes and ears open.  Notice the names on real estate signs in your neighborhood, ask friends and relatives for referrals, attend open houses in your target area to meet the agent on duty, and check the real estate section of your community newspaper,

Once you have compiled a list of names, you will next want to determine if the person is a Realtor, agent, or broker.  A Realtor is someone who is licensed by the National Association of Realtors (NAR), is bound by a Code of Ethics, and has access to the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). 

As you prepare to interview the New Castle County real estate agents on your list, be sure to discuss the following topics:

  • The price range of most of their transactions.  Some agents specialize in high-end properties and won't give their best effort on properties under a set value. If they usually deal in fixer-uppers, they may not have the experience to navigate "Millionaire's Row".
     
  • Their familiarity with and experience in your target area.  If you're buying, a Realtor should be able to provide you with information on the community, the schools, taxes, traffic, nearby amenities .and other facts. If you're selling, you want your agent to be able to talk to prospective buyers about these details.
     
  • The amount of time they can give you—and availability to meet at your convenience.  If you need someone on weekday evenings or can meet only in the morning, will the agent be able to accommodate you?
     
  • What services can you expect from them? In addition to helping you buy or sell real estate, interviewing potential clients, previewing and showing property, discussing sales conditions, drawing up and presenting offers, holding open houses, and writing contracts—all the while meeting deadlines and hand-holding when necessary—you should also expect your agent to be current on marketing strategies, federal/state programs, and area real estate trends and comps.
     
  • References from previous clients.  Listen to what their past customers have to say. Google their names, too, and check the state for any licensing or disciplinary information.

Information courtesy of New Castle County Real Estate Expert Tucker Robbins.

Think You Should FSBO? Think Again

by Tucker Robbins

Selling your own home might sound like a good idea at first, but many  FSBO sellers quickly realize they’ve gotten in over their heads or may have sold their home for much less than they would have had they worked with a Realtor®. Take a look at the stats below and contact me if you would like information about working with a Realtor to sell you home.

for sale by owner

2015: What's In Store for Real Estate?

by Tucker Robbins

A new year has begun and it seems to me that time goes faster and faster each day. The economy is predicted to grow around 3% in 2015 and as you can guess that is good news for the real estate business!  The real estate market holds a few more predictions for 2015…

  • 2015Interest rates are still low compared to what they have been in years passed but Freddie Mac is predicting that interest rates will rise above the low 4% they had dipped to in 2014 to up to 5% by the end of 2015.  Still these interest rates are extremely low so if you are in the market for a new house you should go ahead and plan on making a purchase sometime in the year of 2015. 
  • Prices for houses by the end of 2015 are predicted to be a little higher than in years passed but not so high that they won’t still be affordable.  Home appreciation will likely move to 4.5 percent instead of 9.3 percent as in 2014.  It may be that home appreciation will drop to 3 percent by the end of 2015.
  • If building a home is in your plans then you are apparently on target with a lot of other folks. The building of new homes is expected to rise 20 percent from 2014.  If you don’t find the house that fits your every need this coming year on the market, it will be a great year to build it to your own specifications. 
  • Not as many folks will be refinancing in 2015.  As a matter of fact refinances will drop to make up only about 23 percent of single family orientations this coming year.  In 2014 refinances made up roughly more than half of single family orientations. 
  • It will be a bit easier to get a loan for your new home purchase in 2015 as some of the restrictions that were once placed on new home buyers will be eased.  Funding sources will grow for new home buyers in 2015 as well. 

As you can see there is a lot of good news for the real estate market in 2015.  If you are considering buying a home, don’t wait another day longer…get on the phone and call a qualified Real Estate agent today to get you started in the right direction.

Information courtesy of New Castle County Realtor Tucker Robbins!

Tips for Selling Your Home During the Holidays

by Tucker Robbins

If your home is currently on the market, you may be tempted to take it off during the busy December holiday season that is currently upon us.  I would suggest that you leave your home on the market regardless of what time of year it bellis and do your best to make sure that it shows better than any of the other houses out there for sale.  Selling your home during the holidays  doesn’t have to be overwhelming.  Here are a few tips for selling your home during the busiest time of the year!

  • Decorate your home like you have never decorated it before to make it stand out above all the other homes that are for sale during the holiday season.  You may not feel like doing this because you are most likely ready to move out and get on with your life, but if you take the time to make your home look beautiful for the holidays, it is most likely going to get the attention of several buyers that might not otherwise take a second look at your home.  Be sure to have a few showings during the evenings if your Realtor will agree so that you can show off your awesome light display.
     
  • Have tea or hot cocoa waiting for your potential buyers when they walk through your door for a showing.  You may also want to have holiday music playing throughout your home as well.
     
  • Offer some sort of small gift if your potential buyer is willing to purchase your home during the holiday season.  You can make this gift as small or as elaborate as you wish and may want to gear it towards your buyer’s personality.  Your Realtor will be able to help you know what your buyer likes and what kind of incentive will get their attention. 
     
  • If anything in your home needs updating, you may want to go ahead and make these improvements,  However if you don’t have enough money in your pocket to take care of the holiday for your family and make the updates at the same time, you may want to take that into consideration when setting an asking price.  You don’t have to jump through hoops to sell your home, however you DO want to get the best price you possibly can, so weigh the pros and cons of going ahead and taking care of updating versus lowering your price and then figure out which one works best for you and your family. 

Don’t let the holidays overwhelm you and make you think that you can’t sell your home during this time of year.  There is no reason to take your home off the market in December.  All you need to do is bling out your home like a huge Christmas present and I am sure folks will take notice! 

Information courtesy of Wilmington Realtor Tucker Robbins.

Displaying blog entries 101-104 of 104

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Photo of Tucker Robbins Real Estate
Tucker Robbins
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices
3838 Kennett Pike
Wilmington DE 19807
(302) 777-7744 (direct)